Not Applicable
Not Applicable
Not applicable
The present invention relates to a vehicle occupant restraining system, in particular to a gas restraining system which discharges a flow of gas toward a vehicle occupant and restrains the vehicle occupant from forward inertial movement during a vehicle collision.
Starting in model year 1999, the federal government required automakers to install driver and passenger air bags for frontal protection in all cars, light trucks, and vans. Still, about 30,000 occupants die in crashes on U.S. roads each year. Most of these people die in frontal crashes.
For reducing a chance of injury in a crash, all occupants, sitting in vehicles having air bags, should be properly restrained, regardless of size. All front seat passengers (adults and children) should move the seat as far rearward as possible, and may tilt the seat back slightly to help maximize the distance between the passenger""s chest and the instrument panel. In order to allow the air bag to deploy safely, front seat passengers should avoid leaning or reaching forward, keeping the arms away from the area in which the air bag will deploy, and should remain seated against the vehicle seat back, with as little slack in the belt as possible to minimize forward movement in a crash.
Air bags inflate with great force. If occupants unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting side ways or out of position in any way, they are at greater risk of injury or death in a crash and may also receive serious or fatal injuries from the air bag if driver or passenger is up against it when it inflates.
A big risk of serious or fatal injury offer current air bags to identifiable groups of people, for example, people who cannot avoid sitting extremely close to air bags, people with certain medical conditions, elderly people, and young children.
Some number of people may still be at risk because they will be more likely than the general population to be too close to their air bags.
When the steering wheel and the dashboard air bags inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard, followed by release of smoke. This smoke is actually powder from the airbag""s surface. The smoke may cause irritation and choking. Those with a history of breathing trouble should get fresh air promptly.
Air bags had caused the death of many occupants in low speed crashes. All crashes in which children were killed due to impacts from the air bag.
The energy required to inflate air bags can injure occupants on top of, or very close to, air bags as they begin to inflate. In the first few milliseconds of inflation, the forces can seriously injure anyone struck by and inflating air bag. Serious inflation injuries occur because of occupants"" positions when the air bags begin inflating. Anyone on top of, or very close to, an air bag as it begins to inflate is at risk. This is why most air bag deaths involve occupants who were positioned improperly. Other occupants at risk include drivers who sit or who lean forward in their seats, so they are very close to the steering wheel, infants in rear-facing restrains, and small children, positioned in front of passenger air bags. The more serious injuries range from broken arms and ribs to torn heart valves and bruised lungs.
Research indicates that air bags mainly kill infants, children, short women, and the elderly. Most deaths are the result of severe injuries to the brain, spinal or heart.
This invention is directed to a vehicle occupant gas restraining system for restraining and protecting a vehicle occupant during a vehicle collision.
The object of the present invention is to provide a restraining system which restrains a vehicle occupant from forward inertial movement during a vehicle collision.
The vehicle occupant gas restraining system comprises means for sensing a crash of a vehicle and at least one gas generator or gas source located in front of the vehicle seat.
The gas generator is adapted to discharge a gas flow into a vehicle occupant compartment toward a vehicle occupant seated on the vehicle seat when the gas generator is activated during a vehicle collision. The gas flow is adapted to come into contact with the occupant""s body, to form an enlarged occupant-contact area, and to exert a pressure on the occupant""s body, thereby reducing an inertial force of the occupant""s body and restraining the vehicle occupant from forward inertial movement during the vehicle collision. The gas flow can have a predetermined, or an adjustable, or a modulative force or power based on crash severity and on weight of a vehicle occupant.
The gas flow is directed at the vehicle occupant through an expanding or divergent guide device or nozzle which can be adjustable. At least portion of the guide device or nozzle is adapted to be in a folded position or condition prior to deployment and is adapted to be in an unfolded position or condition during deployment when the gas generator discharges the gas flow. At least portion of the expanding guide device or nozzle is made of a flexible material.
The gas generators may be located in a center of the steering wheel, in a dashboard, and at any other suitable locations for the front seat occupants, and the gas generators may be located in an outside of the seatback of the front seats for the rear seat occupants.
The gas generator is designed to generate a gas flow in a moderate to severe frontal collision.
The entire process of a gas generation, a gas flow direction at a vehicle occupant, and a stop of the gas generation takes place in a fraction of a second, and it will not interfere with the driver""s visibility, or the ability to steer or operate other controls.
In comparison with current air bags in existing and new vehicles which may cause serious or fatal injuries during a vehicle collision described in the xe2x80x9cBackground of the invention,xe2x80x9d the objects and advantages of the vehicle occupant gas restraining system of the present invention, during a vehicle collision, are:
(a) to provide a gas restraining system which restrains and protects an occupant, sitting in vehicle seat, from moving to the side where the vehicle is impacted and from receiving serious or fatal injuries;
(b) to provide a gas restraining system which reliably stops the occupant""s body independently of the occupant""s height and age;
(c) to provide a gas restraining system which secures an occupant independently from a distance to the dashboard or steering wheel for the front seat occupant, and from a distance to the seatback of the front seats for the rear seat occupant; and
(d) to provide a gas restraining system which secures an occupant independently of the occupant""s position in the seat.
Additional objects, advantages, and features of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken together with the accompanying drawings.